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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092441">Hide and Seek</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/renieflorian/pseuds/The%20Lucky%20Bard'>The Lucky Bard (renieflorian)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>One-Shot Collection - Original characters (Dragon Age) [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age: Inquisition</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Platonic Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:15:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,352</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/renieflorian/pseuds/The%20Lucky%20Bard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The game of love may be an enthralling activity. Even when it's supposed to happen in just one direction.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cole (Dragon Age)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>One-Shot Collection - Original characters (Dragon Age) [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hide and Seek</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dancing with a single blade seemed hard. But two of them, that was an impossible task.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cole walked around with a dismayed look. Not too far, not too close. Far enough to not end with his head chopped, and close... well, he didn't want her to hurt herself unnecessarily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can't do this.” Renée relaxed her arms in frustration and looked for the spirit. “Maybe I should focus on magic instead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cole stopped and snorted with his hands on his hips. “But you didn’t even try!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renée hoped he hadn't heard her thoughts at that moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, of course, he had that talent for catching her ideas when she least wanted it. “Why do you think these dirty things when you're nervous?” Or the intimacy between them both had grown to such an extent that he had already lost shame in rebuking her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she grunted and smiled in outrage. “I forgot how you taught me to handle this... thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Cole took a deep breath and approached her. “Too many stories, too many songs… a foggy mind where butterflies flutter, throwing thoughts into chaos… You need to learn to tell me when something is wrong. What if one day I can't get into your head anymore?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why he considered that possibility, Renée couldn't say. As he adjusted her hands on the dagger handles and explained how to rotate both blades without losing them to the ground, her mind wandered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped and looked at her again, but with kindness. “As I said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to hate those blue eyes. It was hard to focus on anything else when he was around. And she was no longer ashamed of trying to hide that kind of thinking from him. Did he understand that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This game was becoming enthralling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, Cole. It's time to go back to the camp,” she sighed. “I don't want anyone to see… us… here. Mainly… Sera.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing more annoying than hearing Sera teasing Renée about her endless visits to the attic of the Herald’s Rest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Up you go! I bet they’re all with the kisses or other disgusting things up there… ugh!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> And made those repetitive kissing sounds whenever Renée tried to pass unnoticed near her room in the tavern. Renée would like it to be true. But…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cole then shrugged. “And you care about those things Sera says?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renée's cheeks have now turned red. She smiled ashamed looking at the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if you want to go back, we can do this lat--”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There, inquisitor! Told ya!!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> They heard Sera screaming up the hill where the camp was settled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Your agent and the freak are screwing around down there!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cole took Renée by the shoulders. “Let's pull a prank on her,” he said in a haste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was usually the other way around. Sera, not Cole. “What...?” Renée asked with a confused smile. She had never seen that witty side of him come out that way. But it was against Sera and the idea seemed to be interesting. However, before she could imagine how this would proceed, Cole suddenly wrapped her in his arms, bringing her close to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don't move,” he whispered in her ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, Renée was barely able to breathe with that attitude. Her heart was racing inside her chest, but she swore it would soon jump out of her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhh…” he demanded quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I didn’t--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the top of the hill, Lavellan was restless, trying to locate them as Sera had pointed out. “Where, Sera?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But… Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But they were--” Sera looked again at the spot where they both were supposed to be, but there was nothing else than grass and trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need Renée here now! Find her,” he growled impatiently while walking away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt stupid, yelled and snarlled, but ran down the hill following the inquisitor's orders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In Cole's arms, Renée remained as still as he had asked her. Her body was burning from the inside with that closeness and hearing the spirit's warm breathing close to her ear wasn’t helping much. But then he released her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It worked,” he said with a satisfied smile. “Ready to run?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked at him confused. “What just happened? Were we--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Invisible. Yes. Let's go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before dragging her into the woods, Cole snatched the daggers from Renée's hands and threw them to the ground. “We won’t need them”, he said, grabbing one of her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they ran like hallas fleeing a predator through the forest. They could hear Sera yelling behind them in anger, but Renée couldn't stop laughing at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zigzagging between trees and rock boulders, she and Cole ran with their hands intertwined, when Cole's hat snapped onto a branch and landed on the ground. Renée tried to stop him to rescue it, but he stopped her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave it,” he said, squeezing her hand. When he noticed Sera was too close, he pushed Renée against a tree, wrapping her again in his arms. “Here she comes. Quiet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renée closed her eyes and buried her head against Cole's chest and remained there, enjoying the protection he was offering for free against a simulated threat. The soft sound of his racing heart beating and his chest rising and falling with panting breathing was all a side rapture. May Dirthamen protect all those secrets that were playing in her mind right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And let Cole not listen to them. No, these were too dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sera then arrived where Cole's hat had fallen and snarled. “This is unfair! That </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span> and its dull tricks! Aaagh!” She walked around, searching for them, but she didn't dare rescue the accessory. “Look, wherever you are... The inquisitor is pissed! He said--” she paused, faltering. “He said he'll leave you with no dinner - Ah, the thing doesn’t eat… damn it! Renée, you're not going to have dinner today!” And she ran off in a rage back to camp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Cole realized they were safe, he laughed. A soft laugh while still hugging Renée against the tree. A moment she wished to never end. Was he enjoying that? Their bodies touching that way and he didn't even care to move away. Perhaps a stolen kiss amidst all those trees? It wouldn't be that bad, she thought. Maybe… Make it look like an accident, make it look like an-- However, when she lifted her head, she noticed something was wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cole, your nose--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at her startled and touched his nose with his fingertips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah…” he gasped. “D-don't worry, it happens--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renée finally released herself from his arms, terrified. “What do you mean, don't worry, you're bleeding!” She pulled a handkerchief out of one of her pockets and helped to clean it with shaking hands. “D-did you hit a branch or…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For an instant, he observed Renée in her dedication to taking care of him. It was like the other times the inquisitor helped him with his injuries after fatalistic encounters with enemies, but... this concern was different. “No. I didn't.” But her frantic thoughts began to overwhelm him. “You are afraid…” So he caught her hand, making her stop. “It's alright. Thank you for this. I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They gazed into each other’s eyes, lingering, and Renée realized that that innocent game may have had a dangerous effect on Cole. “Promise me you won't... we won't do it again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and then placed two fingertips between Renée's eyebrows, attempting to undo that wrinkle that always appeared on her face when she was worried. He hated that. Especially when the concern was aimed at him. “Fine. We can find another way to tease Sera.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed at that idea. Cole was really willing to repay all the slanders Sera had said about them both. But Renée did not want to encourage that attitude. “Let’s leave Sera alone. For a while.” She then took his hand from her forehead and intertwined her fingers between his, rubbing her thumb lovingly over the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go back to the camp. I don't want to be left without dinner today.”</span>
</p>
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